I'm very happy to be on summer vacation! During spring break, I was completely burned out and we barely did anything except take some much needed time to decompress at home.
Well, this time, we're a bit busier! This actually going to be our last vacation time before Cordelia starts kindergarten in August! 😩
On Saturday, Jason was out gaming pretty much the whole day, but we found some fun stuff to do. It was very hot again, so I took the girls out for some AC. We went to the pet store. Every time one of us says we have to go to a "store," Phoebe will hiss like a snake, asking to go to the pet store. So we made very successful visit and both girls got to hold a kitten and see all the other animals. Then we went to Trader Joes and I bought them some mini ice cream cones for a treat. After Phoebe's nap, I took the girls to the pool. Normally, I carry Phoebe tucked under one arm, while Cordelia (in her floaties) clings to my other hand. It's not ideal, but the girls aren't old enough to want to swim for long anyway, so it's ok. This time, though, Cordelia suddenly got the hang of her floaties, using the vest to keep her head up and actually paddling on her own for the first time ever!!!!!! She was so excited to be "doggie paddling" and said she wanted to swim back and forth across the shallow end 100 times. I was SO PROUD OF HER. This girl never wants to get her face/eyes/ears wet at all, so this was huge. Phoebe also loves the water and asks me to put her "down".... not realizing that she will sink lol!
Here is a video (from another day) that I took before getting in the pool. She gets more confident as she goes, but this was the best I could get, while persuading Phoebe to wait with me before getting in too!
All in all, a wonderful summer day that had me feeling like a good mama! 💗
On Sunday, we went to a (belated) celebration of Eid, the end of Ramadan, at a friend's house. It was really special and I was so happy to be included.
While we were there, the mom introduced me to another family who was there whose 11 year old daughter has hyper mobility and uveitis! The girl was so amazed to meet a baby with uveitis and was very sweet. She and her sister loved asking Phoebe for hugs and high fives and found it hilarious when they learned she could fist bump. The mom and I talked all our backstories. They learned she had uveitis because her eye turned red, and believe it may have been triggered into activity from stress after a big move. Her episode was 3 years ago and took 6 months to resolve (with drops and oral steroids) but she has stayed clear since, so far. She has to wear special shoes and was telling me she was not supposed to kneel or go on the trampoline because of her hyper mobility of her joints. So far, she does not have JIA, although I have read about children having both. She still has to get her eyes checked all the time, of course.
During the party, a lot of kids started running around and it became "boys vs. girls" with some slamming of doors upstairs. I went up at one point and found Cordelia away from the action, in her friend's bedroom with a big stack of Disney books. She had read every single one to herself and was finishing the last two. She continued to look at them after Phoebe and I came in, and then asked me to read them all to her when she was done. I had to tell her to just pick one. Well, that is Cordelia in a nutshell for you. This is not the first time she has disappeared to raid a friend's bookshelves during a playdate either. That's just who my kid is. Sometimes I worry about how she is going to struggle socially in school (, but dang, she is just so happy being herself.
In the afternoon, Cordelia and I had a Mama and daughter date to see The Incredibles 2. (Jason had a date with her on a different day.... I got to enjoy the movie and she got to see it twice... win!) She is really super hero obsessed and after seeing the first one, she loved it. There were a couple of scary parts, one of which she hid for, and honestly glad she didn't watch it. The bad guy Screen Slaver has a black gas mask face with fangs--- even scary for me! Conjures up the same freaky feelings as The Empty Child in Dr. Who, there's just something wrong about it. Cordelia's take away from the Incredibles has been to pretend to be her own original character: Crystal. Her power is to make crystals that trap bad guys. She is also Frozone's sister. Uh, amazing! She just made this up herself!
Today (when I wrote this, ha ha....) was Monday.
Phoebe has been very cranky when she wakes up, starting the morning by saying NO, and not wanting me to change her diaper and getting really upset about it. It's been kind of frustrating, but then today, I suddenly said, "You don't think she's feeling stiff, do you?" Jason responded: "I was just thinking the exact same thing!!" I am hoping it's just because she is teething. I have been telling everyone Phoebe is doing amazing, I just want it to stay that way. Sometimes I think that her knees are still not as strong as they could be... it seems like the big step stool in our bathroom is harder for her again. But then, she runs and climbs everything. I don't see any swelling. I'm just constantly second guessing, it makes you crazy! I wish she could tell us!
Fortunately, Phoebe perked up and I took the girls on our next outing: To the Bay Area Discovery Museum! It is one of my favorite places, it is just so magical!
Driving the yellow car was one of Phoebe's favorite parts
Cordelia is too tall to go in the Toddler Play Area!
I took Phoebe in... she was nervous to climb in the tunnel and didn't really like the water beds.... my favorite part!
Phoebe did like this climbing
On Tuesday we toured Pixar as I know a family that works there. Both the parents are animators, though only the dad was working that day. You can't go in without someone inviting you, so it was really special! There was lots of art and statues of characters around, so even the girls enjoyed the tour, despite some more boring building/office place stuff. And of course, many of the animators have decorated their offices to look like castles, jungles, Mayan temples, and taco shops... so it feels kind of like you're at Disneyland.
The coolest thing was getting to see where the dad works and see his computer where he was in the process of animating a scene. My other favorite story is that there is a scene in The Incredibles 2 where Mr. Incredible and Elastigirl talk about her going back to work or staying with the family, and that scene was animated by both of them. And what's more, they had had a conversation exactly about that, as to whether or not she would work on the movie or stay with their kids. I know that scene was especially poignant to me, especially given that I am not counting down the days until I'm going back to work full time. Yikes.
My JIA kid is the one who wants to walk and push the stroller!!
Crystal and her brother Frozone
My Incredible Family!
Wednesday was the 4th of July. We have sometimes gone to a parade, but Jason said he wasn't feeling very patriotic this year, and I have to say I agree with him, especially given all the repulsive baby cages and family separations. In the evening we went to the girls' cousin's house and got to see all the neighborhood fireworks.
The second half of vacation was pretty mellow, just errands and pool and such. On Saturday or Sunday I noticed a bruise on Phoebe's right foot, but also she was walking slightly funny on the left. She was not putting her heel down, not putting as much weight on that side. She was still moving around fine, but I found it slightly suspicious, so I took a video to document it. I haven't noticed much else in the days that followed, so I think she's ok.
Welp, this post was sitting around unfinished for so long, I almost deleted it But it was a nice vacation, and I'd like to remember it, so here's the post. You can expect a write up of yesterday's Infusion #4 soon.
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